Air pollution on the tube (1)

Shaun Bailey: What specific action are you taking to tackle the high levels of air pollution on London's tube network?

The Mayor: London Underground (LU) air pollution is not unacceptably high, and LU air quality is well within the Health and Safety Executive specified limits (4mg/m3). It is important to note that the air in the Underground system is very different from that found on the surface, where pollution is mainly due to vehicle exhaust emissions. While particulates found above ground are known to be carcinogens, those on the Underground are not known to have that effect.
Transport for London (TfL) regularly monitors the Underground network to track dust levels and is working closely with independent experts to undertake new studies to further understand this issue. TfL also spends £60m every year cleaning its trains, stations and tunnels, and is committed to maintaining the cleanest possible air for its customers and staff.
TfL is in the process of purchasing Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) equipment to capture welding fumes – one of the primary sources of Tube dust - at source. TfL aims to have these in use by the end of January 2020.
Last year TfL carried out a trial of a very powerful trolley-based vacuum cleaner on the Piccadilly line between Barons Court and Earl’s Court stations, which successfully reduced both inhalable and respirable dust.
TfL is currently trialling a similar methodology on sections of the Bakerloo and Victoria lines. As part of this work, TfL is also testing the application of a dust suppressant formula post-clean, to assess the combined impact. Results from these trials are expected to be available by spring 2020. Following an assessment of the impact, TfL will determine how best to incorporate these methodologies in its regular cleaning regime.
More work is planned from early 2020. TfL will be carrying out trials of air purification/filtration systems, tunnel wall washing and assessing the feasibility of using electrically charged plates to collect dust. In addition, it will investigate whether rail grinding dust can be captured at source and assessing the impact of capturing dirt at Tube station entrances.
Encouraging more people to use public transport is a vital part of addressing air pollution across London. TfL will continue to draw on expert advice and implement measures to ensure clean air on London Underground.

PHVs and the Congestion Charge (3)

Florence Eshalomi: To qualify for the Cleaner vehicle discount, a private hire vehicle must be Euro 6, emit no more than 75g/km of CO2 and have a minimum zero-emission capable range of 20 miles. Since 8 April 2019 how many such vehicles have entered the Congestion Charge Zone during hours of operation? Please break down the figures by month.

The Mayor: Transport for London’s (TfL’s) records show that, as of 09 December 2019, 3,785 Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) are currently registered for the Cleaner Vehicle Discount (CVD).
TfL monitors the number of unique PHVs seen in the Congestion Charge zone during operational hours. The total number of unique PHVs with a valid CVD in place that were seen in the zone between 08 April and 05 December 2019 was 2,190.
The number of those unique PHVs seen each month is shown in the table below. It should be noted that a number of those may be seen regularly on a day to day basis.
PHVs with a CVD seen in the Congestion Charge Zone
Month
Unique CVD PHV Vehicles
Apr-19
615
May-19
1,022
Jun-19
1,120
Jul-19
1,248
Aug-19
1,238
Sep-19
1,472
Oct-19
1,616
Nov-19
1,759
Dec-19
1,279

London Underground Air Quality

Tony Devenish: What action are you taking to improve air quality on the London Underground?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2019/21064.

Suspending Uber

Keith Prince: The Mayor, when still a Mayoral candidate, stated ‘he would suspend Uber immediately if it emerged just a single driver did not hold genuine paperwork’. In a recent court case, Uber London were found guilty for allowing drivers to pick up passengers without adequate insurance. Why has the Mayor not carried out that threat of suspension?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2019/20717. More information on the reasons for Transport for London’s decision can be found online here: www.tfl.gov.uk/tph-news

Bus Cuts (2)

Tony Devenish: How much of the savings you have made by cutting Central London buses have been invested into replacing diesel buses with greener alternatives?

The Mayor: The specific changes to routes in central London will make journeys better for many by improving reliability and reducing bus-on-bus congestion. The savings from the central London bus changes have not been directly invested into greener buses.
Instead, the savings will be reinvested back into the transport network, making public transport a more attractive option for customers across London and decreasing reliance on private car use. The changes have allowed Transport for London (TfL) to invest in increased services in outer London where public transport options are more limited, and provide services in key areas of growth, for example at the new development in Kidbrooke.
TfL is also committed to raising the number of zero-emission buses in the fleet to 2,000 by 2025, which will be a significant step towards my ultimate target of all buses having no tailpipe emissions not later than 2037. In the meantime, buses that operate in central London have been ULEZ compliant since April 2019, furthermore TfL is making the entire fleet meet the ultra low Euro VI emission standard (or better) by 26 October 2020, which it is on course to achieve.

Air pollution on the tube (2)

Shaun Bailey: What Key Performance Indicators have you put in place to ensure that the high levels of air pollution on London's tube network are effectively tackled and brought down?

The Mayor: London Underground (LU) air pollution is not unacceptably high, and LU air quality is well within the Health and Safety Executive specified limits (4mg/m3), which is Transport for London’s (TfL’s) key metric for monitoring.
TfL has also informally adopted the much stricter recommended target (1mg/m3) of the Institute of Occupational Medicine and meets this recommended target at the majority of locations. As an average across the Tube network, dust levels do not exceed this level (since TfL began to collect a station average in 2005).
TfL spends £60 million every year cleaning its trains, stations and tunnels, and is committed to maintaining the cleanest possible air for its customers and staff.
For more details of action TfL is taking to improve air quality on the London Underground, please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2019/21064 and Mayor’s Question 2020/0190.